In the early 1900s, fashionable hats were often decorated with elaborate feathers, wings, and even entire birds. But what seemed glamorous at the time came at an enormous environmental cost.
Millions of birds were hunted each year for fashion, meat markets, sport, and trade, pushing some species toward collapse and silencing once-abundant flocks across North America.
Out of this crisis came one of the most important conservation laws in United States history: the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 (MBTA). Passed more than a century ago, the law was one of the first federal environmental laws of its kind. It helped transform the way Americans thought about wildlife and remains a cornerstone of bird conservation today.
In 1918, the MBTA began as a treaty between the United States and Great Britain, which represented Canada at the time. These countries were later joined by Mexico, Japan, and Russia. The MBTA’s purpose was simple but groundbreaking: to protect migratory birds that crossed borders and could not be safeguarded by individual states alone.
Egrets were popular for their beautiful plumes, making them vulnerable to the fashion trade. Photo: Suzy Horvath
Before the law, birds were often treated as limitless natural resources. Wading birds such as egrets and herons were heavily hunted for their plumes, which were especially popular in women’s fashion. Songbirds, ducks, and other species were also killed in enormous numbers for fashion, food, and commercial trade.
The MBTA made it illegal to pursue, hunt, capture, kill, or sell many migratory bird species without authorization. Importantly, the law also protected nests, eggs, and feathers. Today, more than 1,000 species of migratory birds are protected under the act.
For many birds, the law arrived just in time. Species that had been pushed to the brink of extinction by decades of unregulated hunting slowly began to recover. Snowy egrets, wood ducks, sandhill cranes, and many songbirds benefited not only from legal protection, but also from growing public support for conservation. The act helped lay the foundation for wildlife refuges, habitat preservation, scientific research, and future environmental protections across the United States.
Sandhill cranes, a native Ohio species, remain endangered in the state. The MBTA helped lead to their protection. Photo: Suzy Horvath
It also marked a cultural shift. People increasingly began to see birds not just as commodities, but as vital parts of healthy ecosystems and shared natural heritage. Birds pollinate plants, disperse seeds, control insect populations, and help scientists understand environmental change. Their migrations connect wetlands, forests, coastlines, and backyards across entire continents.
Public advocacy played an important role in this transformation. Conservation organizations such as the National Audubon Society encouraged people to reject the feather trade and support stronger protections for wildlife. Many of the movement’s early advocates were women who challenged fashion trends that depended on bird plumes and organized campaigns to raise awareness about the destruction caused by the industry.
The results were dramatic. Species once pushed toward decline began to rebound, demonstrating that conservation efforts could succeed when governments, scientists, and the public worked together.
But the story of bird conservation is far from over.
The white ibis, another species protected by the MBTA, is not currently listed as endangered, but its population has declined in recent decades due to pollution and habitat loss. Photo: Suzy Horvath
Today, migratory birds face a new set of challenges, including habitat loss, climate change, light pollution, pesticide use, and collisions with buildings. A landmark 2019 study published in Science found that North America has lost nearly 3 billion birds since 1970, underscoring the urgent need for continued conservation efforts.
That work depends not only on laws and scientific research, but also on public connection to the natural world. Museums, nature centers, and conservation organizations continue to play an essential role in helping people understand why birds matter and how individual actions can support biodiversity.
You learn more about the intersection of fashion, culture, and conservation in the Museum’s exhibition, Fashion & Feather: A Collaboration Between the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Kent State University, which examines how birds influenced style trends—and how the demand for feathers helped inspire one of the earliest wildlife protection movements in the United States.
For those inspired to learn more about birds beyond the exhibition, the Museum’s birding programs offer opportunities to observe migratory species in the field and learn more about the remarkable journeys they undertake each year. From warblers passing through Ohio in spring to herons along local waterways, birding offers a chance to connect more deeply with the wildlife that surrounds us every day.
More than 100 years after the passage of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, its legacy can still be seen every time a flock of geese crosses the autumn sky or a songbird returns with the changing seasons. Every migration and birdsong carries the story of a conservation movement that helped pull many species back from the brink—and reminds us that protecting the natural world is a responsibility shared across generations.
